Syed Muntazir Mehdi
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Title: Suppression of begomoviruses using CRISPR/Cas9 with multiple gRNAs
Biography
Biography: Syed Muntazir Mehdi
Abstract
Site-specific genome editing through CRISPR/Cas has revolutionized the field of plant genome engineering. CRISPR/Cas is an effective, efficient and economical method of targeted genome engineering in almost every field of biology and agriculture. In addition, targeting multiple genes simultaneously has made Cas9 a method of choice for functional genomics and engineering resistance in crops against biotic and abiotic stresses. We designed multiple gRNAs to target simultaneously three genes of cotton leaf curl virus for viral inference in plant. In transient assay, replication of the virus was halted by Cas9 having multiple gRNAs leading to low virus titer and attenuated viral symptoms. Cotton transformation was optimized with DsRED and stable transformation of Cas9 along with multiple gRNAs in cotton is in progress. Validation of multiple gRNAs for virus suppression will open up new corridors for using Cas9 for suppression of viral diseases in crop plants.